Two arrested as police impound electric conductors worth millions

Police in Jinja City in eastern Uganda have impounded a truck loaded with electric conductors which are suspected to have been vandalised from electricity pylons (transmission towers).
A police source said the truck was impounded on Wednesday morning from Kisenyi, a Kampala suburb, while en route to Giant Uganda Limited, a factory that manufactures aluminum products located in Masese, Jinja South City Division.
The source alleged that some security personnel were abetting the vandalism of electricity conductors carried out by some insiders and former workers of electricity companies, whose contracts had been terminated.

Mr James Mubi, the Kiira Region Police Spokesperson, said: “Two suspects were arrested, including the truck driver identified as Mr Moses Lukenge, 37, a resident of Kyebando, a Kampala suburb, and Mr Umar Ibanda, who was contracted to track the safety of the consignment to the factory.”
According to Mr Mubi, this is the second time in 13 days that Police have recovered electric conductors inside the same factory, supplied from the same source (Kisenyi).
On December 23, 2022, Police impounded a truck with vandalised electricity conductor wires and recovered some in the same factory, Mr Mubi added.

Following that incident, Mr Mubi said the suspects were transferred to the Utility Court in Kampala, adding that investigations are ongoing to establish those behind the vandalism of electricity conductors from the high voltage transmission towers.
Mr Mubi said Police have issued factory owners and scrap dealers a seven-day window to provide information regarding who sells and buys vandalised electricity conductors before they swing into action to get them using the information gathered through intelligence reports.